


You Didn't Get This Far Just to Give Up Now

by Alysky



Category: Stardew Valley (Video Game)
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Both Platonic and Romantic, But like waaaay later, Emotional Roller Coaster, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Everyone will be in it, F/M, I Will Go Down With This Ship, Mental Health Issues, My First Fanfic, Not gonna be too graphic, Past Child Abuse, Physical Abuse, Relationship(s), Sam is a Sweetheart, Slow Burn, Suicidal Thoughts, Swearing, This might get sad, Trust Issues, Unrequited Crush, Unrequited Lust, like the slowest of slow burns, maybe smut, unlikely friends
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-05
Updated: 2017-10-04
Packaged: 2018-11-23 13:55:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 15,545
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11403798
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alysky/pseuds/Alysky
Summary: "You are so brave and quiet I forget you are suffering." -Ernest HemingwayPenny is the town's only teacher, struggling to make enough to support herself, her household, and her mother Pam, the town drunk's, drinking habit.Shane is running Pam a close second, but trying to push himself to put in an effort for his goddaughter.Both are looking to be understood, but they could never see eye to eye. Shane dulls his pain with alcohol, while Penny despises it, seeing it as the center of her pain. It would never work, right?I just thought this world might need a little bit of Shane/Penny, hope you enjoy!





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! This is my first fic EVER, so I really hope you enjoy! It's probably gonna start out reeeeal slow while I try to flesh out the way I want this to go, so if you have anything you'd like to see in this, don't hesitate to let me know!

Penny was awake long before she opened her eyes, choosing instead to keep them closed, and mentally will the world to continue on without her for today. 

_One day is all I ask. Please, just one..._

Far sooner than she would have liked, though, the silence of her room was pierced by the screeching of her alarm. Giving a long, tired sigh, she sluggishly reached out to press the off button, returning the silence. She shuffled out of bed, letting her feet gently touch the floor.

Most things about Penny were gentle. Her voice, her steps, everything right down to the way she handled the things she touched. People had always been taken aback, she knew, that someone so quiet and timid could be in such close relation to-

**_SNORE_ **

The loud sound made Penny jump in surprise, before realizing what it was, and pursing her lips as a sign of disappointment. It sounded as if Pam had fallen asleep in front of the TV again, which meant that there would be a pile of beer cans and take out containers for her to clean up when she got out of work. 

She shook her head a bit to clear her mind, and focused on getting ready for the day. She noted again, with faint distress, how her yellow blouse was missing a button. Her skirt was becoming a bit frayed at the ends, and her tights were showing their age. She wouldn't be surprised if this was the week they finally received the tear that would force her to retire them. Sighing again and biting her lip, she started doing math in her head. As it was, Penny already needed a coat she couldn't afford. She knew she needed new clothes, but could she afford them? Slipping on her shoes, she decided thinking it over would just have to wait. 

Slowly opening her bedroom door, and cringing when the tired rusty hinges gave their loud groans of complaint, Penny tried to leave the house as silently as possible. A feat that had always proved challenging, no matter how hard she tried. It seemed like every step caused a creak louder than the last, and it was a fight to keep the front door from slamming itself shut behind her. She managed it though, and once outside the tension in her shoulders ebbed, and she was on her way to the museum. It didn't take long for the cold to catch up to her, and she crossed her arms over the books she carried, giving a small shiver. 

On her way, she passed by the mayor's house, who was just stepping out for the day. He saw her and gave a friendly wave, which she mimicked with a small smile.

"Morning, miss Penny," Lewis called to her in a neighborly tone. Penny liked Lewis a lot, he was the one who had gone through the trouble of getting together money to pay her for teaching the local children, which turned out to be vital when the bus to the city broke down, which put Pam out of a job. The villagers, kind as they were, tended to look at her with pity or condescending gentleness, which was too much for Penny to take.

Lewis, on the other hand, had never treated her with anything but respect and grandfatherly tenderness. She would never forget the look of pride in his eyes when she had timidly volunteered to act as a teacher to the two younger children in town, in lieu of a proper school. She had been so worried that Jodi and Marnie would have looked at her in disapproval, the idea of their son and great niece, respectively, being taught by the town drunk's daughter who lived in a trailer, to be too much for them to ever take her offer seriously. 

But they had. Each of them had eagerly agreed to it while thanking her enthusiastically, to her great relief. Though sometimes Penny wondered if they had done it to spare her pride, or what little was left of it. 

It took her a moment to come back from her thoughts to realize that Lewis was standing in front of her, patiently waiting for her to return to the present. When she did, she straightened her posture quickly, and pulled her books from resting on her stomach to leaning on her hip, and again waved.

"Mayor Lewis, good morning! I'm so sorry, I was a little distracted." Penny said truthfully. Lewis had already shrugged it off and began to chat quite jovially with her, but Penny's attention began to wane once more when she saw movement behind Lewis. 

Gus had emerged from his bar, the Stardrop Saloon, and was headed in her direction. She bit the inside of her cheek to keep her face neutral as the larger man approached where she and Lewis were talking. 

"Morning, mayor!", the happy man practically bellowed, making Penny jump. He looked to her, and his facial expression changed from one of pure cheerfulness to one of extreme discomfort and guilt. "Good morning to you too, miss Penny. I'm sorry to interrupt, but there's something I have to talk to mayor Lewis about. Would it be alright if I...?", he trailed off, allowing her to fill in the blanks. Mustering all of her good natured personality into one smile, she responded pleasantly. 

"Of course, I really should get going anyway. It was lovely talking to you, Lewis. I hope you both enjoy your days." This earned a genuine smile from Lewis, and a barely masked pained expression from Gus, as they both wished her a good day. With that, she turned on her heel and continued walking, only now allowing her smile to fall and her face to burn with a blush of irritation.

It wasn't that she thought Gus was a bad person, quite the contrary, in fact. He seemed like a wonderful man, but the thing that kept their relationship from being anything other than distantly cordial was his bar, the Stardrop Saloon. It was the only bar in town, it was also where her mother spent every night before she stumbled into their trailer late at night. Gus knew this. He had to know,  _everyone_ knew. Yet he never put a stop to it, never told Pam no. He just continued to allow Pam to shove Penny's money into more drinks before going home. 

Sometimes, Pam would come home quietly. Other times, there would be lots of bumping, tripping and loud swearing, something that made Penny cringe every time when she laid in bed, tears filling her eyes while she flinched at every sound. The worst nights were when Pam took it out on her.

Feeling the familiar burning sensation behind her eyes, she took a deep breath and blinked rapidly, to keep the tears from falling.

 _Come on, Penny, no time for that. You can wallow in self pity later. Right now, you have children to teach and take care of._ She continued talking to herself silently as she entered the museum, and gave a fake smile to Gunther. Luckily, he was too preoccupied to notice how close she was to tears, and she quickly slipped behind the bookshelves to the area she had designated for teaching Vincent and Jas. 

Slipping into a chair at the table, she opened one of the books she had brought with her, and continued to read while she waited for the kids to come for today's lesson. 

* * *

 

_Ugh, shit._

It was Shane's first conscious thought of the day, and what a fitting thought it was. Pain exploded in the back of his head, doing a better job at reminding him he was a constant disappointment than Marnie ever could. 

He sat up in bed, and fought off the queasiness and dizziness that made him want to lay back down immediately. His head was fuzzy, his mouth felt dry and gross, his stomach was already threatening to empty itself in the most violent way possible, and to top it all off, he had a very nagging feeling that there was something he was supposed to do today. 

Just as he was about to drag himself to the bathroom, a small knock happened at his door. Miserable as he was, the sound of it managed to illicit a tired smile from Shane, as it always did. He pushed himself off the bed, and shuffled closer to the door. In a deep voice, husky from sleep, he called out to his visitor, "Who is it?"

The giggling response from the other side of the door confirmed it to be exactly who he thought. "It's me, Uncle Shane! It's Jas!" He chuckled, relaxing into leaning against his wall while he scanned his room for his work issued hoodie. "So it is. What's up, kiddo? Did you need something?"

Suddenly he could feel the excited energy become very timid, and in a voice that lacked her earlier enthusiasm, replaced with nervous hopefulness, Jas said, "Um...y-you promised to walk me to school today, remember?"

_Oh. FUCK._

Shane squeezed his eyes shut and resisted the urge to bang his head against the wall.  _Idiot. How could you have forgotten that?_

"W-well, if you can't...if you can't, that's okay, Uncle Shane. I can ask Aunt Marnie to walk me instead." The disappointment in her voice was so thick it almost choked him. "No, kiddo, no. I promised, and I would love to walk you. Just, just let me shower really quick, okay?" He replied quickly as he opened the door to rush to the bathroom, "We'll leave in ten min-"

He was cut off by a small, purple haired missile launching herself at him. He looked down and saw excitement and adoration shining brightly in his goddaughter's eyes, and he felt an intense wave of both love and shame crash over him. _I don't deserve to be looked at like this. She deserves so much better than me as her guardian._  He focused hard on keeping his thoughts off his face while he smiled at her and ruffled her hair.

The door next to his opened and he looked up in time to see his aunt Marnie watching the display before giving him a gentle smile, approving nod and mouthing a thank you. He nodded as well as Jas trotted back to her room to get her things for school together. 

His shower, while a quick one, helped enormously. The pain in Shane's head, while not completely gone, downgraded significantly. He felt clean and fresh as he toweled off his hair, which now gave off a purple sheen, very similar to Jas'. Looking at the similarities he had with his goddaughter and niece, he couldn't help but smirk. Even when she was born, his brother used to talk about just how similar the two looked, like Jas may as well have been Shane's instead of Austin's.  _Austin._ His brother's name still sent a dull ache through his chest, despite it having been many years since he and his wife had passed. 

Forcing himself to stop before it ruined his mood completely, and by association Jas' walk to school, he tossed on an outfit from the 'clean enough' pile that was in his room, and slipped into his Joja hoodie. He left his room just in time to see Marnie wrapping a scarf around Jas' neck, and zipping up the child's winter coat, before giving her a big hug. They both turned to look at Shane and Jas' eyes lit up, skipping over to the front door, excited to head to school. Shane took a step in her direction before he was stopped by a hand on his shoulder.

"Here, Shane." He turned to see his aunt offering him an egg sandwich with bacon, and his stomach growled with approval. She smiled at him gently, and after he accepted the sandwich with one hand, she squeezed his free hand affectionately. "Have a safe walk to work. Are you sure you don't want a scarf?" He looked off to the side, avoiding eye contact. "I'm fine," he murmured before taking a bite of the sandwich, his stomach singing with the taste of grease.

Marnie sighed, but ultimately conceded with a nod and a wave before going to check on her cows. Shane turned to Jas and offered her his hand, which she snatched up eagerly, and they were on their way.  

 

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

“Hey, Pen!”

Penny’s eyes flew up at the bright and cheery tone that addressed her, to see a young man in his 20 somethings with blonde hair frantically flying up from his head, like a cartoon character. The museum suddenly seemed much brighter, but that was probably because of him; Sam tended to have that effect on the places he went.

Most of the people her age tended to avoid Penny, Sam being one of the exceptions. He seemed to go out of his way to invite and include her in on things. Whether it be standing with his friends at events and festivals, listening to his music, or trying to coax her out of her shell and learn more about what she liked, he was always trying to help her it seemed.

As kind as Sam was, she always found a way to politely turn down his offers. As much as he insisted he wanted her there, she wasn’t so sure his companions felt the same. She was pretty sure Abigail didn’t like her, although it seemed like she didn’t like many people. Penny could never tell whether the girl was sneering at her, or that was just the natural way her face rested. Sebastian was a completely different story; he was the half-brother of her only friend, Maru. Maru was convinced that Sebastian didn’t like her, and Penny was not about to complicate her friendship by getting close to the brooding loner. Though she’d be lying if she said she hadn’t admired him from afar.

His friends may intimidate her, but they weren’t with him right now, an observation that made Penny’s tense shoulders relax slightly as she returned Sam’s smile.

“Good morning, Sam. How are you? Um, wh-where’s….?” Penny asked, looking around Sam in search of his younger brother, her student, Vincent.

“Oh, he went to read one of those historical monster books, he’s just fine.” No sooner had he finished saying that than they heard a panicked yelp and a loud **_THUMP_** , which made Penny flinch. She jumped up to find him just as he poked his head around the corner.

“Hi, miss Penny! I’m fine!” Vincent said, a bit too loudly, before running off again. Penny held back a sigh. _Vincent is a wonderful child, but if anyone could single handedly get us kicked out of our learning space, it’s him._ She contemplated going after him, but before she could take a step, Sam spoke up.

“So hey!”, he said far too loudly, flinching at his own volume before lowering it exponentially, “so hey, the Feast of the Winter Star is coming up. We’re picking names for gift giving next week. Who are you hoping to get?” Penny felt her heart sink a bit. She had completely lost track of the days, and forgot the holiday festival was so close. _So much for new clothes, I won’t be able to do both._ Apparently some amount of worry or disappointment showed on her face, because Sam’s face fell to a look of concern.

Quickly masking it with another smile, she said, “Oh, so soon? I guess I haven’t been paying as close attention as I should to the date. I’m hoping to get one of the kids, maybe. I had them write a paper about what they wanted, so they would be easy to shop for.” Sam nodded in agreement. “Yeah, I kinda hope I get Vincent. Or Seb. That walking smokestack is so easy to buy for.” He promptly started laughing at his own affectionate insult, while Penny gave an uncertain smile.

Sam opened his mouth to say something else, but then glanced at the wall and groaned. “Ah, shoot. I gotta get to work. But hey, I got big news next time I see ya, don’t let me forget!” He had been walking backwards while talking, and Penny involuntarily flinched as she watched Vincent run around the corner and the two collide. Penny stood, uncertain whether or not she should help the two, but a few moments later Sam was picking Vincent off the ground, and the two were smiling apologetically at each other. Sam gave them both another friendly wave, then turned the corner to leave.

“Oh, hey man! I didn’t know you were dropping the kiddo off today.” Penny heard Sam talking to someone near the door, though she couldn’t see them from behind the bookshelf. _I shouldn’t be listening in on their conversation._ She moved away to sit with Vincent, pulling out a math worksheet for him, and heard him groan when she put it in front of him.

“Hi, miss Penny,” a quiet but eager voice piped up. She turned to say hello to Jas and Marnie, but the greeting died in her throat when she saw that Jas’ companion was certainly not Marnie.

 

* * *

 

_Shit._

How many times had he already thought that today? Shane had lost count, but each time had been justified. Especially this one, watching Penny’s friendly exterior vanish in less than a second after seeing him wasn’t exactly his favorite part of the day.

Her gentle smile came back. Forced, but he highly doubted the kids would notice. Jas had already let go of his hand and flounced over to where her teacher was sitting, took a worksheet, and started writing. Shane felt a surge of pride as he watched Jas go through her worksheet almost effortlessly, as Penny quietly praised her, then turned to Vincent to praise his perseverance. He watched for a minute, deciding that even if Penny hated him, he liked the way she did her job, and how much Jas liked her. Which was, now that he thought about it, the most positive opinion he had of anyone who wasn’t Jas or Marnie. Yoba, his head hurt too much to be thinking as much as he was.

“…anything, Shane?” He realized he hadn’t been paying attention, and at some point, Penny had left the table and come over to him, and now she was looking him like she had just asked him a question. “Sorry, what?” He said, blinking a couple times to clear his mind.

“Oh, I just asked if there was anything you needed to tell me? About Jas, I mean,” She repeated, sweeping her sunburnt orange bangs out of her green eyes, but still looking for any excuse to not make eye contact. When he didn’t seem to know how to respond, she started listing examples in an attempt to help, “Did she sleep okay, how is her mood, do you need me to drop her off later than usual…?”

“No.” His response came out a bit sharper than he had meant it to, and made her wince slightly. _Oh, whatever. She hates me anyway._ Her eyes stayed downcast as she replied, “Okay, um, well. Th-thank you for walking her here.” His only response was a bored grunt, and then he turned and trudged out the door, ignoring Gunther’s disapproving look, and was on his way to work.

Penny’s obvious distaste for him wasn’t that odd. Just about any time they had ever bumped into each other, he had been drunk. While most people would have been able to just brush him off as a drunken asshole Penny’s situation was…unique in this town, to say the least. He was only a few years older than her, 28 to her 24, and he could still vividly remember what it was like to be raised by a drunk.

It probably didn’t help that Pam had made her interest in Shane far too obvious. More than once she had invited him back to her trailer, and every time he had rudely brushed her off. To his disappointment, this didn’t deter her in the slightest. If anything, it made her try harder, sending drinks over to him, calling out to him to sit with her.

 _Some people are just too stupid to figure out when to fucking quit._ He realized, with a small start, that he had been thinking about it the entire walk to work, and he was now in front of Joja Mart. He took a deep breath, and could almost feel his brain turn off as he walked into the store, straight past his boss Morris, who was wearing his usual predatory smile.

“Hello, Shane. Quite a lovely day, isn’t it?” Shane only grunted in response, which didn’t discourage Morris in the slightest. “I have a bit of a favor to ask you, Shane.”

Hating the sound of his boss saying his name, he finally responded, “Yeah?”

“I was hoping you might consider staying late today. As I’m certain you noticed, our delivery truck didn’t get here until after hours last night, and unloading it will most likely take you and Sam all day.” Shane bit back a growl of irritation. _He always pulls this shit at the last second._ “Fine,” Shane said tiredly, “will I be getting overtime for this?”

“Ah, sadly I can’t do that for you, Shane. But,” Morris added before he could get a word in, “I know that the town has a winter festival coming up. In lieu of overtime, I’d be willing to give you that day off instead.”

“How kind of you.” Shane deadpanned as he got his pallet into the designated isle and began to stock the shelves. Morris tilted his head slightly, and his eyes crinkled from the smile his eyes didn’t hold. “Oh Shane, think nothing of it.”

Morris walked away, leaving Shane to shudder at the sound of his name in Morris’ mouth. As he turned, one of the six packs of Joja Cola fell off the shelf and slammed down on his foot. He grit his teeth and threw it back onto the shelf.

_This is going to be a long fucking day._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't have a definite writing schedule yet, but when I do I'll make sure to post it in the story summary. I hope to see you all in the next chapter!


	3. Chapter 3

_Hmmmm…_

Lewis had never been confident about approaching the trailer, Penny knew. He may not have known what went on behind closed doors, but he could tell something was wrong with the place. Whenever he had something he had to tell Pam or Penny, he tended to approach them while they were out and about. The few times Lewis had come to the trailer, he had seemed uncomfortable. Like right now, as Penny watched from the window. Lewis had been standing just outside the door for the last 5 minutes, floundering. She had used those minutes to her advantage, quickly and quietly cleaning any obvious signs of issues and neglect from the small area that was a designated kitchen and living room.

Just as she tossed the last of the beer cans into the trash, a knock came. A bit more prepared, Penny walked over to the door and opened it, to see the mayor beaming at her.

“Evening, Penny! I’m sorry to bother you dear, but I have the name of the person you’ll gift to this year.” He explained, as he produced a letter from the bag he was carrying. She accepted it with a smile, and opened it.

_Okay, here we go…_

She skimmed over the usual text that was in it every year, and then read the name.

_Sebastian_

She felt her shoulders slump with relief. Sebastian would be easy to shop for…with Sam’s help, anyway. Lewis saw her reaction and smiled, giving her hand a gentle pat.

“Don’t you worry dear, he’s one of the easier ones to shop for,” and gave her a conspiring wink. She gave him a grateful smile, trying to keep a shamed flush off her face. _Ah, he rigged it._ While she felt better knowing the mayor was looking out for her, it was still rather embarrassing to have to have the entire festival rigged just so she could receive the name of someone she could afford to gift to.

“Anyway,” The mayor continued on cheerfully, “next year we’ll have someone new to add to the list.” Penny froze upon hearing that. Was someone pregnant? She didn’t think so; it was a tiny town, and she was the only teacher. Logic dictated she would have known about it.

“We will? Who…” she started to ask, but quickly faded when Lewis’ eyebrows practically shot up into his hair.

“Someone is finally moving into the old farm. Apparently, Buddy Adams’ grandson has been holding the deed to the place this whole time, and just got in contact with me about moving here. He should be here at the beginning of spring. Didn’t Sam tell you? I could have sworn Jodi asked him to tell you, after I told Marnie who told…” Penny wasn’t listening anymore. _Someone is moving onto the farm?_ She felt a pang of both envy and curiosity. She would have given anything to be able to start over in a brand-new place with everything just handed to her right off the bat.

She waved goodbye to Lewis, and shut the door to her trailer. She had just walked into her room when she heard the buzzing. Rushing over to her end table, she pulled her phone off its charger and answered. “Hello?”

_“Hey, Pen!”_  Sam said in a singsong voice that made Penny smile.

“Hello Sam, how are you today?” She asked, dropping back down onto her bed.

_“I’m good! But I totally forgot to tell you about the new person coming to the farm.”_  Before he could continue, she quickly intercepted, “Oh that’s okay Sam, Lewis just told me all about it. Actually, I’m glad you called. The person I have to gift to this year, I think you can help me out with it…” Traditionally, you weren’t allowed to talk about who you got, but Penny figured sidestepping tradition to get Sebastian something he’d actually _like_ was acceptable.

_“Oh hey, that’s why I called you, too! See I got Maru, and I COULD ask Seb, but uh…you know.”_  Penny nodded in understanding. Coming to her instead of asking his best friend had definitely been a smart move on Sam’s part. _“So who’d you get? Abigail?”_

“No, um, I got Sebastian.” There were a couple seconds of silence, and then Sam let out a high-pitched laugh.

_“Seriously? What are the odds of that? Oh man, that’s funny!”_  Penny let out a small giggle of her own, trying not to dwell on the fact that only Sam’s had been chance, while hers had been cherry picked. _“Well alright then, what are you up to tomorrow? We could meet up somewhere and trade information.”_  Sam’s voice lowered as he talked, as if he expected someone to be listening in.

“Okay, tomorrow sounds fine,” Penny said, poking her head out of her bedroom to survey the amount of cleaning that was expected of her this weekend. _I could probably get this all done today, if I start right now._ She bid Sam goodbye and hung up, grabbed another trash bag and started in on her chores.

 

* * *

 

 

Shane walked into the bar after work, and gave the blue haired bartender a nod, signifying to her he’d have his usual. She had his pint ready by the time he approached the bar. _Yoba bless Emily._

“Thanks.” He muttered gruffly as he picked his beer up from the counter. Emily beamed, “No problem Shane, just doing my job!” She glanced over her right shoulder, then leaned across the bar so she was almost touching him. “But hey, I’d hightail it to your usual spot soon if I were you. Pam’s been pretty chatty today and I know you’re not a fan of how…friendly she is with you.” Shane didn’t say another word. He just stood up, grabbed his beer and retreated to the other end of the bar.

_The fuck is up with her. I’m young enough to be her son. Shit, I’m young enough to date her DAUGHTER._ That gave him a slight shudder. _Hope she’s got higher standards than that._

He’d been so busy staring down at his pint he hadn’t noticed someone approach him. _Speaking of age gap._ He tried to keep the annoyance and slight disgust off his face when mayor Lewis approached him, though he wasn’t sure how successful he was. Lewis, as per usual, gave him that smile that was so polite and fatherly, it was almost condescending. The mayor approached Shane, but instead of standing in front of him, Lewis took the seat next to him, raised his hand to Gus to ask for a pint. Shane was not interested in having a drinking buddy, and decided to cut to the chase.

“What?” He asked curtly. Lewis just turned to him and smiled, greeting him like Shane hadn’t spoken.

“Evening, Shane. How’s work been treating you?” Shane bit his tongue slightly, fully aware the booze was loosening it. “Like a corporate slave, as always,” he replied bluntly, and glanced across the bar to where his aunt was seated at the table she usually shared with the mayor. Considering the town they lived in and how much people loved to gossip, it never failed to amaze Shane no one had noticed the couple that tried (poorly) to be subtle about their relationship. He turned once again to the mayor, and with a slight tone of annoyance asked, “What do you want?”

“Oh, just to give you the name of the person you’ll be getting a gift for this year. After that, I’ll get out of your hair.” With that, Lewis handed him a sealed envelope. Shane rolled his eyes as he tore it open. _Whoever it is, I’ll just buy them a damn case of beer and be done with it._

Once he saw the name, he quietly cursed.

_Penny_

He looked up just in time to see Gus drop a pint of beer and a plate of pepper poppers in front of the mayor. Lewis grabbed his beer and a handful of poppers before pushing the plate towards Shane, and in a low voice said, “Make sure you get her something nice,” winking, and walking back to Marnie.

Shane let a frustrated sigh out his nose as his hands curled into fists. _That fucking bastard did this on purpose just to spite me. He rigged it just to piss me off._

Finishing his last beer for the night, as well as the poppers, he staggered out of the bar. The world was spinning slightly, and he had to sit on the bench to center himself. Just when he was about to stand, Pam came out of the bar, making him draw himself into the bench further, in an effort to melt completely into the shadows.

Luckily, she didn’t so much as glance in his direction, and began practically dragging herself in the direction of her trailer. Pam was not by any means a quiet person, and even from the distance between them he heard her mutter something that sounded like _fucking bitch_ accompanied by her daughter’s name.

Shane only shook his head. _Well. Beer is definitely not an option this year._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a Tumblr now! I just made it today so it is completely, and totally blank. But I'll be posting updates and whatnot there about this story, as well as posting things that will probably only pertain to Stardew Valley. Through it you can get in touch with me, ask me questions, and all kinds of other stuff!  
> https://www.tumblr.com/blog/alysky


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heya, folks! Sorry it's been a bit longer for this chapter, I had a lot of thinking for this one. I also got super hooked on Dream Daddy...  
> Anyway! Here's the chapter, enjoy!

“Okay, so!”, Sam loudly exclaimed, clapping his hands together. It was early Sunday morning, and Penny and Sam were meeting under Penny’s favorite tree. It was wonderful to read under, and made her feel safe. In the summer, it protected her from the shade, and in winter she would climb up a bit, the thicker branches did their best to shield her from the harsh wind.

She was sitting in it right now, in fact, arm gently wrapped around the branch that was keeping her sheltered from the cold. Of course, she hadn’t let Sam know that’s why she was up here. That would have led to one of two things; either he would have insisted she take his jacket, or he would have brought her to his house instead. Both of those, while innocent to Sam because he would have done them for anyone, would have been viewed far differently by their neighbors.

So instead she sat quietly in her tree, listening to Sam ramble about all the things he had thought his gifting target might like.

“…and then I thought, maybe a plant? I know she and her dad like science-y stuff, but I don’t know him well either. He didn’t seem to like me much, or Abby. You know, maybe he’s just not a fan of Seb’s friends-” She needed to cut him off before he went on a tangent and forgot why they met up in the first place.

“Okay, Sam, okay. One thing at a time, please,” she said in her most soothing tone. “I know Maru goes down to the mines sometimes, and some of the stuff she likes and uses are probably down there. She likes plenty of other stuff, too. But I bet,” Penny bit the inside of her lower lip as she thought about it, “I bet that she’s really appreciate getting some batteries? She’s always telling me about how she keeps running out of them.”

At first, Sam looked a little pouty, and Penny knew why even before he said anything. “Batteries? Ugh, that’s so booooring. But I mean, if that’s what she really wants, then I guess they aren’t boring to her, huh? Alright well, I think work has those, I don’t really wanna give them business but if it’ll make Maru happy, then…” He seemed to run out of words, concluding with a shrug. “I’ll make it up to Pierre somehow. Alright, your turn. Sebby, huh? He’s really easy to buy for, maybe even easier than the kids.”

Penny tried not to breathe a sigh of relief while Sam climbed the tree to sit next to her. “Okay, that’s wonderful to hear. What do you think I should get him?”

Sam smiled wanly and said, “Smokes.”

Penny looked at him for a moment, confused. “Sm-oh, cigarettes?”

“Eeeeyup. Smokes them constantly, so it’s safe to say he’s always running out. There are a couple other things he really likes, but one of them, I think you can only get it deeper in the mines. Everything else is just the nerdy shi-STUFF,” Sam quickly and loudly talked over himself to keep from swearing, “stuff we like, and that can get kinda pricey. And tough to pick out, if you don’t know the person you’re giving it to very well.” Penny nodded absently. She knew next to nothing about video games and the like; while they looked very intriguing to her, they were very expensive, so she had never been able to afford them. So cigarettes it was, then.

“Okay, thanks Sam. Umm…but I don’t know if Pierre sells those…” Penny felt a small rush of panic. She knew Pierre didn’t sell them, she bought things exclusively at his store, and knew everything he carried. To check for cigarettes, she’d have to go to Joja Mart. She furrowed her eyebrows at the thought. She had gone there only once, and while their inventory was friendlier to her budget and had more variety, shopping there had made her feel dirty. The manager, Morris, made no effort to hide that he was trying to expand and take over the entire way of living in Stardew Valley.

Not to mention, she was known there as Pam’s daughter, which was more than enough to keep her away from the store. Sam only smiled and shook his head.

“Penny, Penny, take a breath! Relax. I _work_ there, remember? Just give me the money for them and I’ll pick them up when I get Maru’s batteries.” Penny didn’t realize she had even been holding her breath until it all came out in relief. _Sam really is a wonderful person._ The thought made her bunched up shoulders loosen a little, and her first genuine smile of the day grew on her face.

“Speaking of work,” Sam said, checking his watch, “I should probably get going. Want me to pick them up today?” Penny quickly pulled out her purse and started counting her money. She gave him what she had put aside, and watched as he jumped out of the tree with ease, then turned around and offered her his hand. With a smile and a gracious nod, she accepted it, and hopped out of the tree.

After saying their goodbyes, Penny begins to head back in the direction of her trailer, when her phone chirps, notifying her of a text message. She turns the screen on and checks.

_“Pen, HELP. I have to get a gift for Jas and I have ZERO ideas.”_  Penny bit the inside of her cheek to hold back her smile. Maru may be the smartest person she knew, but when it came to kids, Maru knew next to nothing.

She checked the time. It was still early; her mom would be at the bar for quite a while. _“Alright, Maru, it’s okay! Are you free right now? I can head your way.”_  Penny didn’t even have time to put her phone back in her pocket before the response came in.

_“Yes, that’s fine! See you soon Pen."_  

* * *

 

 

_I don't know her at all._

People could say plenty of things about Shane. That he was uncaring, rude, a drunk, and he agreed with them. 

But he was really,  _really_ trying to think of something for Penny, and just couldn't come up with anything. He considered asking for help, but most of the other townsfolk disliked him, for one (justified) reason or another. 

_Even if I did ask for help, who could help me? Doesn't really seem like she has many friends, if any._

Getting ready for and walking to work, during work, and even at the bar, it swam incessantly in his head. Finally, the beer kicked in and managed to quiet it some, though once it did, he started to wish it hadn't. 

He had been so focused on the bubbles in his beer that he hadn't noticed Pam approaching, and sidling up to him far too close for his comfort. His brow furrowed as he glared at her in annoyance, and shifted in his seat to get more distance between them. "The fuck do you want?" His tone almost hitting a growl in his throat. 

"You looked lonely kid. Figured I'd come over and give ya some company!" She said, practically roaring with laughter that a newcomer may mistaken as a jovial, welcoming sound. 

"Well I don't  _want_ company, so fuck off." He turned so he was staring directly at the drink selection behind the bar. 

Suddenly, an arm linked through his, and Pam was even closer. "Oh, come on, Shane. Put the claws away, just for one night?", this voice on anyone else would have sounded like a purr, but coming from Pam it sounded more like a lawn mower starting up. "Or, you don't have to put the claws away. Just use them somewhere else." Shane felt his stomach curl with disgust. 

"Hey, Shane?" With a voice that suddenly sounded like a choir of angels, Emily bopped over with all the innocence of someone Jas' age. "Sorry to interrupt, but there's a phone call for you from the back room, sounds pretty important!" She then proceeded to flash a smile at Pam that said  _I have no idea what you two were talking about and am in no way trying to get rid of you._

Shane untangled his arm from Pam, stood up with support from the bar, and followed Emily into the back while Pam grumbled in annoyance. 

Once she closed the door, Emily's cheerful exterior dropped into one of concern. "Are you alright, Shane?"

"Yeah Em, I'm fine. where's the phone? Is it Marnie? Is Jas okay? Does-" Emily quickly started shaking her head, and Shane cut himself off and looked at her questioningly. 

"No one called." She said, as he blinked at her in confusion. "What?"

"Shane, look around you. Do you see a phone back here? I said that so I could get her off of you, and help you leave without her following after you. Look," She held her hand up when Shane opened his mouth to say something, "I know You prefer to keep to yourself, and that's fine! But please, don't be afraid to ask for help when you need it." She dropped her hand and gave him a small, hesitant smile, and in a small voice, she continued, "I'm your friend, Shane. I'm here to make sure you're okay."

He stared at her in stunned silence for a few moments, not sure how to respond. Emily had always been much more open and accepting of his need to avoid everyone than just about anyone else. He had always thought of their relationship as strictly client and consumer, but... _friends? Huh._ _Wait, why does that sound familiar? Wasn't I just thinking about someone? Something to do with friends?_

Then it clicked.

"Emily." He said, alcohol adding volume to his voice. The entire time his mind sluggishly fought to pull itself together, she had been standing there rather awkwardly, getting more and more embarrassed about her declaration of wanting to be friends. Her head snapped up immediately when he said her name, "Yeah?"

"I got Penny." Emily looked at him in confusion, "You got...what?"

_Shoot,_ the beers were really started to hit him now. He worked even harder to untangle his muddled brain, and make his words as clear as he could. "For the festival. I have to get her a gift."

Emily brightened up in understanding. "Oh!" She said with her usual cheerful demeanor, but then fell into a thoughtful look. "Oh..."

"Yeah. I can't buy her the booze I normally do. I don't know anyone she spends time with, except the kids." Shane was really trying to focus on getting the words out now, and Emily could see it.

She thought about it for a bit, then clapped her hands together so suddenly it made Shane jump. "I know! Why don't you- uh, hang on, I'll write it down for you to look at tomorrow." She grabbed a piece of paper and quickly scribbled a message and handed it to Shane, who stuffed it into his wallet. Emily smiled at him. 

"Now, let's get you out of here." With that, she turned and walked back out into the bar, skipped over to Pam and began to ask her what she'd like for her next round, while using one hand to subtly signal to Shane to leave.

Shane made it to the door before his vision started to blur slightly, and he knew he was about to black out. He shambled in the direction of the farm as fast as he could, desperately hoping that if he woke up tomorrow, it would be in his bed. Then, the world went black.

 

 

The next morning he woke up, and felt like everything was on fire. His head was pounding, stomach was rolling, and his bladder was painfully full. His stomach lurched him up, and then coaxed him into a frantic dash to the bathroom. Once both his stomach and bladder were empty, he began to shrug out of his clothes to take a shower and hopefully ease some of his discomfort. His wallet fell out of his pocket, and when he reached for it, he saw a white piece of paper sticking out.

When he pulled it out, he saw blocky but legible handwriting, Emily's.  _Ask Marnie about Penny._

_Marnie?_

He thought that over while he was in the shower. His best guess was that Emily hadn't seen Penny with any other villagers either, and while asking the kids would be fruitless, maybe asking someone who traded pleasantries with her every day, wouldn't be. It was better reasoning than anything he had been able to come up with, so he decided to give it a shot.

Once he was dressed for the day, he stepped out into the kitchen. It was his day off, and he had slept in, so Jas was already at school. Marnie was there, behind her desk, filling out forms for a new shipment of feed. She smiled politely when she saw him approach.

"Good morning, Shane. Feeling better?" At the reminder, his stomach threatened to lurch again, but he kept it in check. 

"Um, yeah. I wanted to ask you something," She was now turned towards him, giving her complete attention. "I have to get a gift for Penny for the festival, but..." He trailed off, but Marnie finished for him.

"But you can't get her beer like you could with everyone else. I see dear, that is a little difficult. She keeps to herself most of the time, I don't think I've ever seen her with anyone. Well, Maru sometimes. But I'm sure I can help just fine!" Marnie gave him a gentle smile. Then, suddenly her eyes lit up. "Oh! You know what, I know exactly what you can get her!" 

Shane looks at his aunt, about to ask, but she shakes her head. "Not just yet, dear. We'll talk about it after I pick Jas up, there's something I need to check first before we can decide."

"'we'?" With anyone else, he would have been annoyed. Because it was Marnie, he was amused. 

"Yes, 'we', silly. Who  _knows_ what you'd get the poor girl if I let you do this on your own." Shane's expression soured slightly, but he ended up nodding in begrudging agreement. He wasn't the most thoughtful gift giver. 

"Alright. So once Jas is home, you'll help me?" Marnie was beaming so hard she was practically glowing, a very suspicious look for her, Shane thought.

"Of course, dear, of course."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Emily, best anti-wingman ever.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Mentions of abuse in this chapter

Penny woke up the day of the Feast of the Winter Star feeling incredibly nervous. Holidays were always stressful to her, it felt like putting on a performance, an act for the entire town, and always left her feeling drained and exhausted. While most days she could just walk by her neighbors with a quick but friendly 'hello', today she had to stand in front of them. For hours. That would give them plenty of time to notice a dislodged button, a hole in her tights, the fraying ends of her skirt. 

Or the bruises she had acquired last night.

Sometimes it seemed like staying out of Pam's way only made things worse. No matter how quiet Penny was, when Pam was in one of her raging fits, nothing mattered. It didn't matter if the fridge was full of food, how much of Penny's paycheck had already been handed over, how clean the house was. None of that mattered when Pam was angry drunk. 

One thing  _had_ set her off, though, a very uncommon occurrence. The cigarettes she had bought for Sebastian had been sitting on her bedside table, not yet wrapped up as a gift. For whatever reason, seeing them had enraged Pam, who didn't even hear Penny when she tried to explain that they weren't  _hers_ , they were a gift for the next day. At some point, Pam was able to process that, at which point she stopped hitting and started laughing. 

 _"A gift, huh? You shoulda said something, kiddo! Then I wouldn't have hit ya!"_ She continued to roar in laughter as she walked off to her room and fell asleep almost immediately, leaving Penny cowering and whimpering quietly in the corner of her room until she calmed down enough to stand up and check herself over.

To Penny's relief, however, most of the blows had been to one of her arms, and mostly up by her shoulder, making it very easy to hide. There were a couple other marks that needed some tending to, however, and Penny knew she needed to get started as soon as possible so she would be ready for the holiday. 

Quickly changing into her regular clothes, she quickly reached into her drawer and pulled out a couple things she very rarely used.  _It's been so long, I don't think I even remember the correct order. Is it foundation first? Cover up? Corrector? Umm..._

When she finally decided on the order of her makeup, she tiptoed to the bathroom to wet a small rag, and gently dab at the angry red mark on the side of her collarbone her mother's nails had left. Once she decided they were clean, she covered them with makeup to the best of her abilities, then stood in front of the mirror, chewing the inside of her cheek in disappointment, despite knowing that not even makeup could work miracles. The redness was gone, but where Pam had left nail marks the skin was still swollen.

She shook out her hair slightly, and an idea came to her. She hurried quietly back into her room and looked under her bed for something that Maru had once gifted her. She stood back up holding a straightening iron, _that's what it's called, right? I'm pretty sure. Maybe not,_  and plugged it in next to her phone. Seeing it blinking to indicate a text message, she picked up her phone to check it while she waited for the, um, thing, to heat up. 

She saw she had gotten messages from both Maru and Sam, and decided to start with Maru's.

_Hey, girl! When will you be here? Mom made us all come early to help set up, but now everything is done and I'm super bored._

Penny stopped to think. When would she be ready? She wasn't sure just yet, so she decided to send back a rather open ended text.

 _Hi Maru, I'm not too sure yet. I just need to finish getting ready, so I should be there in about 15 minutes, maybe?_ She reread it, and then nodded before sending it off. 15 minutes sounded like an adequate amount of time.

Now, for Sam's.

_Hey Penny, good morning!_

_Happy holiday!_

_What time are you gonna head over?_

_Oh, wait, are you still sleeping? Sorry!_

Penny put a hand lightly over her mouth as she smiled. She had never owned a dog before, or any kind of animal, but most days she felt that Sam's energy and exuberance made up for it.

_It's okay Sam, I'm awake. I'm getting dressed, I'll be there soon._

Her phone chirped again, but this time she ignored it and when back to the iron. She had never used it before, and touched it very tentatively. Picking it up, she took a lock of her hair, which normally curled so intensely at the ends she tended to put her hair into low twin buns to keep from looking like an old fashioned housewife, and put it slowly through the iron. It came out and fell slightly below her shoulders, almost perfectly straight, with only a slight, stubborn curl at the bottom.

After a little under 10 minutes, all her hair reached down a bit past her shoulders, ending in a slight curl. She quickly measured the length and felt relief rush through her.

 _Perfect._ She brushed all her hair over to one side, perfectly hiding the groves in her skin. Then, slipping on her shoes, grabbing Sebastian's gift and prepping for the cold, she eased herself outside and headed to the square.

 

 

* * *

 

_Ugh._

Shane wanted to turn around and go home before he had even gotten to the town center. He would have, if he weren't with Jas and Marnie. Marnie would never let him, and Jas would be disappointed at the idea of him missing out on something she found to be a lot of fun. So there he was, slightly hungover, uncomfortable, walking into the square with a gift for someone who hated him, and might not even like the gift. 

As usual, they were one of the last families to arrive. Marnie was usually a stickler for being on time, so Shane guessed this was another thing she and the mayor did to be less obvious about their relationship. For all the good it did, seeing as the minute they got there, she would go to Lewis and not leave his side until the event was over. 

"Ah, hello, you three!" Lewis called in jovial greeting when he saw them, and then surveyed the rest of the area. "It looks like everyone's here! Let us begin!" He said dramatically, and then everyone moved around to give their gifts. Shane decided to hang back and let Penny give her gift to whomever she got first. 

"Um, excuse me?" A voice to his right had caught his attention, and he saw Maru standing in front of Jas, who was holding his hand tightly, and staring up at Maru with big, uncertain eyes. 

Shane knew Jas could be rather off putting to people who met her, sometimes even frustrating to try to talk to, so he wasn't sure what to expect. What he didn't expect was for Maru to kneel down to Jas' level, and hold out a well wrapped gift.

"Hi Jas, I don't know if you remember me, but my name is Maru. I'm really good friends with your teacher, Penny. I got you a present, would you like to open it?" Jas bit her lower lip, exposing her two front teeth, and nodded shyly, quickly accepting the gift, not taking her eyes off Maru until she started to open the present. 

Shane heard a small gasp and watched as Jas' head whipped up to look at Maru again, surprising both of the adults when she gave Maru a quick hug, whispered "thank you", and ran off to show Vincent her brand new Jack in the box.

Maru stood, dusting snow off her knees. "Well that went better than I thought it would. I never know how to act around kids."

Shane snorted. "I think you did pretty well. Jas doesn't usually like when people touch her, let alone people she doesn't know." Maru looked at him with her eyebrows raised in surprise, and it wasn't hard for Shane to guess why. He doubted she had ever heard him talk at all. He gave a quick look at all the people behind her, and caught a flash of orange, but saw it wasn't Penny, the hair was too long.

"Who are you looking for?" Shane snapped back into his body and realized Maru was still standing there. "Oh, uh, Penny." Maru nodded, looking around, and pointed to the long orange hair that he had just dismissed. 

"She's right there."

 

* * *

 

Penny had been nervous, but after watching Sebastian give his gift, which was for Emily, she took a deep breath and walked over to him.

"Um, Sebastian...?" "Hmm?" He turned to her, looking more bored than anything, and she quickly realized he wasn't alone. Abigail was standing with him, looking very annoyed that Penny had approached them. She felt herself losing her nerve very quickly.  _Just hand him the gift and go, they clearly don't want you here._

"Uh, h-here." She held the gift out in front of her, too nervous to make eye contact. 

"Oh, thanks." The voice was not one that she had been expecting at all. Fairly deep, surprisingly smooth and so gentle in tone it made her look up, only to see him looking down at her with a small smile.

"Just open the damn thing already, Seb." Abigail snapped impatiently behind him, and Penny watched as his face fell into a bit of a scowl, before looking at her apologetically and starting to unwrap her gift. 

"Oh, hey, awesome. Thanks Penny, this is great!" There was a surprising amount of happiness in his inflection, and it both sounded and looked sincere; his smile was the biggest she had seen from him since she met him. She opened her mouth to say something when suddenly someone was standing beside her.

"Hey, Pen! I see you found him all on your own, huh?" Sam beamed at her happily. Then he noticed her hair. "Hey, I like the new look!" Penny blushed deeply as she felt Sebastian look her over again and take notice of the difference. 

"Oh um, thanks. It's not really a new look though, I just wanted to try out the iron Maru gave me so-" At the mention of her name, Abigail muttered something under her breath, causing Penny to stop short and suddenly want to distance herself from the group as much as she possibly could. She said goodbye rather abruptly, and much more curtly than she normally would.

"Okay, um, thanks for the gift." Sebastian called out weakly behind her, before putting the several packs of cigarettes into his pockets. Sam watched her leave in confusion, with an almost hurt look on his face. 

She sat under the tree beside Harvey's office and took a couple breaths to calm herself.  _Abigail's problem is Abigail's problem and no one else's. Maru would have told me if she was being harassed._

She was so busy talking herself out of frustration, she didn't notice someone else approach her until she smelled a pleasing fragrance, a smell of soap and hay.

The last person she expected to see when she turned around was Shane, but there he was, standing beside her rather awkwardly, looking like he was trying to find words. When none came to him, he gently shoved the gift he was holding into her hands, with a small mumble of "Happy holidays." She looked at him stunned for a couple seconds before looking down at the gift he had pushed at her. It was slightly messily wrapped, almost as if a child had wrapped it, although that may have been because whatever was in the wrapping was soft, and malleable. She looked up at Shane in a second of uncertainty, and after he tilted his head in the direction of the gift, she opened it. Once it sat opened in her lap, she stared at it with wide eyes.

 

* * *

 

 

_Shit she hates it._

 

He wasn't sure what else this could be, her sitting there, staring frozen at her gift. As the seconds ticked by and turned into an eternity, he remembered the old rule Austin had always taught him;  _never buy anyone clothes as a gift._ But he thought this may have been able to be an exception. She was always shivering, always so cold. She had definitely needed a coat, and he went out and got the warmest looking one he could find, in a deep, earthy green. 

Usually he'd at least be able to see her facial expression, but her hair was straight today and easily covered her face. He started thinking he should have approached her from the  _other_ side, where there was no hair covering her face. 

He was about to offer to return it and get her something else, when she did something very...un-Penny-like. She dipped her head down to the coat, curling herself into a ball and just,  _hugged_ the damned thing. Shane was about to smirk watching the display, until his heart caught in his throat. When Penny leaned forward, her hair had followed suit, exposing a bit of her next and behind her shoulder. 

He saw nail imprints. And he saw bruises. Suddenly, everything made sense. He had known Penny was definitely neglected, and probably abused. He hadn't considered it extended to physical abuse, until he saw the marks on her.

_Fuck fuck fuck what do I do??_

He wasn't supposed to see them. He knew he wasn't. And if he wasn't supposed to see them, neither was anyone else. He suddenly felt a surge of want to shield her from the prying eyes of the townsfolk, while also seeming like he hadn't seen them.

Thinking as quickly as he could for someone as hungover as he was, He sank down to sit beside her and very, very softly put his hand on her shoulder. She flinched.  _She flinched._

Covering up anything he may have been feeling, he looked at her with one eyebrow raised in question. "So uh, is it okay...?" 

He had only ever seen Penny give close mouthed smiles. He never knew why, nor did he really care. But that changed the second she turned to look at him and was absolutely beaming, fighting back tears.

"It's perfect! Shane, I...Thank you! Thank you so much." She was still smiling at him, and he realized he was very close to smiling back. "Can I, um...can I put it on right now?" That made him bark with laughter a little.

"Well, it is  _your_ gift, you can do whatever you want with it." That made her smile again, and a small giggle bubbled out of her that made Shane's heart skip slightly.  _Wait, it did what._ He shook it off quickly and watched as she slipped on the coat, quickly rearranging her hair to the side again, but there was no need. The coat was huge and easily covered her neck. Penny wrapped her arms around herself, closed her eyes and let out a long breath, sending vapor through the air. She opened them again to look at Shane, and gave him a shy smile, this time close lipped, but that was okay. 

She thanked him one more time before he wandered off to find Marnie and Jas, trying to get his heart to beat normally.  _What the hell is wrong with me today?_

In Shane's rush to find his family, and Penny's happiness about her gift, neither of them had felt a pair of eyes watching them, narrowed in anger and jealousy.

 

 

 

It was much later that night when a knock on the door pulled his attention from the video game he was playing. It had been Marnie's turn to tuck Jas in, and he figured she was probably still there. So he paused the game, pulled himself up, and trudged through the kitchen to open the door, only to find no one there. In the place of where a person would be, he found a whole crate full of his favorite type of pepper, as well as a small handmade cook book of all the recipes they went well in.

Confused, he picked the crate up and brought it inside, not noticing the note attached to the other side of the crate until he had put it on the table. Ripping the note off its nail, he began to read.

_Shane,_

_I was going to give these to you at the feast today, but you seemed a bit preoccupied with miss Penny. Thank you very much for the gift you gave her, it made her very happy._

_Happy Holidays,_

_Lewis_

Shane put the peppers in the fridge, and went back to his room, holding both the note and the cookbook. He shut off his game and laid on his bed, staring at the ceiling for a while as he felt himself losing the battle with his eyes as they drifted closed, giving him one last thought of the day.

_She flinched._

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this one was a little later than usual, but it's a bit longer too, I hope you all enjoyed it! I probably will not be updating this weekend because I'm going away but I will be working on it before I go, so you will probably be getting another chapter, probably in the middle of next week!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prepare to meet our lovely farmer!

Spring rolled around, unapologetically and without warning. Penny didn't mind, in fact it was her favorite season. Flowers were in bloom, grass was growing, and the overall feeling of the town just seemed friendlier. However, Penny still had a schedule to maintain, and never strayed from it.

Which is why it came as a surprise to her when there was a knock on her door early in the morning on the first day of spring. Judging by Pam's disgruntled sounds of trying to get up while half asleep and probably hungover, she hadn't been expecting company, and Penny certainly hadn't either. 

"Penny! You up, kiddo?" Her mom called from the living room, struggling against bleary eyes to turn off the TV. Penny quickly hopped into her shoes and opened her door to peek out at her mother, confirming that she was, in fact, awake. Her mother smiled at her groggily.

"Good morning, hun. You happen to know who might be at the door?" Penny shook her head, and glanced over to the door. "Welp," Pam started, pulling herself off the couch, "we won't get any answers just standing around here. Come on, let's go check it out." 

Their visitor happened to be mayor Lewis, who smiled at them when they stepped outside of their trailer. Standing beside him was a young man around Penny's age. Penny glanced over at her mom, who she could tell was immediately regretting not having done her hair or makeup before coming outside.

"Good morning, ladies! My apologizes for coming so early, but we have a new member of the valley! This is Ian Adams, Buddy's grandson. He'll be reviving the old farm, but I wanted to make sure he got the chance to meet everyone first!" Lewis was talking much faster than normal, clearly in an attempt to whisk him through the entire population as fast as he could. As Pam took a step forward to introduce herself, Penny took a moment to look the farmer over.

He was pretty tall compared to her, though it seemed most people were. The only people in town shorter than her were Abigail and the kids. She started from the top, admiring his honey brown hair that had a bit of a curl to it, and ended just above his shoulders. His eyes were green-gray, and half lidded; Penny couldn't tell whether it was from exhaustion from the early morning, or if that's the way his eyes always were. His face was fairly narrow with a nice chin, his mouth rested in a slight smirk, which showed a surprising amount of friendliness. The rest of him was fairly lanky, and Penny wondered if he had ever done any type of labor before. 

 _Well, there's no doubt about it. He is definitely very attractive._ Penny was so distracted by it that she didn't even realize Pam was finished introducing herself and had started gesturing towards her daughter. She didn't notice until she realized the eyes she was looking at were now staring right back at her. _Shoot._

"Um," Pam stammered slightly, then stated something she was saying for, most likely, the second time. "and this is my daughter, Penny." Penny smiled shyly and waved, while trying not to look like she was curling in on herself. 

What the two older people had missed, that hadn't been lost on Penny, was Ian's appraisal of her. She could see the look on his face turn from friendly and curious to gentle and concerned as he took in the clothes that should have been retired seasons ago. She felt like he could see through the cardigan she wore, on a day it was plenty warm to go without, to the bruises that still marked her arm, though were now at the end of their life cycle.  _If the dirt path opened up and swallowed me right now, I wouldn't even fight it._

But Yoba seemed to have other plans for her, as the earth beneath her feet stayed where it was, and Ian smiled at her as he extended his hand for her to shake. She reached out her hand as well, and felt her smaller hand become enclosed in his large hand, wrapping his slender fingers close to her wrist. 

"It's wonderful to meet you, Penny!" Ian said in a voice that was somehow both high in pitch and nasally, while still definitely belonging to a man. His voice was a strange mix of both monotone and expression. 

Penny had always been very shy, but she always managed to come out of a conversation fairly normally. Although, none of those conversations had begun with the feeling that the person knew every horrible thing about her, and all she could do was pray that her hands hadn't been clammy when they touched his.

Pam was watching the exchange with a tight lipped smile, then quickly leaned over to wrap her arm around her daughter's shoulders.

"Well! It was wonderful to see you two today, but Penny and I are really busy right now, right, hun?" Before Penny could even open her mouth to say another word, Pam was vehemently nodding, as if agreeing with herself.

"Yup! Lots of stuff to do, so uh, see ya!" With that she practically dragged Penny back into the trailer, with mayor Lewis calling out that Ian would probably come back another time to visit on his own. 

Once the door was closed, Pam turned to her daughter with a smirk of amusement, and one eyebrow arched.

"Yeesh kid, I've never seen you flounder like that! Y'alright?" Penny could only nod, looking at the floor and furrowing her eyebrows, fighting off a blush.  _That was...extremely embarrassing._

Pam sighed and looked up at the clock on the wall. "Well, it's about the time for the saloon to open, so I'll be heading out soon. Be safe today, alright? No letting boys in the house, even that cute farmer." Pam said with a smile and a conspiring wink that made Penny fight to keep a smile off her face. There were so, so many nights that were filled with stress, fear, tears, and even pain for Penny. But on days like these, it was hard to see this woman as the same person who stumbled home late at night. The woman who could be boisterous and funny, protective and worried about her, was the same person who would abuse her mentally, emotionally, and physically.  _But, surely it's okay to enjoy times like this, right? My mother may make mistakes, but she's not a terrible person. She's taken care of me on her own for years._

Penny waved absentmindedly as her mother headed out the door, but the thoughts stayed with her. Her father had died when she was young, too young to remember. The only photo of him she had was of him holding her in the hospital the day she was born, with Pam off to the side. Her father looked tired, but very happy. The thing that always got her choked up was the look on her mother's face. She wasn't the focal point of the photo, but she was looking at her husband and daughter, and smiling with a look of love and contentment that Penny couldn't remember ever having seen on her face before. 

She continued to think about it as she cleaned the trailer, picking up the usual trash of beer cans, bottles, and TV dinners. When that was finished and the dishes were put away, she went to her room to clean there. Not that there was much to clean, she didn't own many things and the things that she did own all had a place. The coat Shane had gifted her, however, had fallen off its hook where it hung on the back of her bedroom door. She picked it up to put it back, and suddenly got hit with the sent of soap and hay, the same scent she had smelled when Shane approached her. She had expected him to smell more like her mother did, alcohol mixed with sweat and cheap food, but he smelled clean, crisp. She hesitated a moment, looking down at the coat in her hands, then hesitantly and delicately brought it to her nose, closed her eyes, and inhaled deeply. 

For just a moment, she allowed her mind to drift, her body to relax, losing herself in the smell of clean. All too soon, she came back to Earth, quickly turning red and looking around, despite being in the privacy of her room. She quickly returned the coat to its hanger, picked up her book, and headed outside to the tree she loved the most to catch up on her reading.

 

* * *

 

 

_Yoba just kill me now._

Any higher being that may or may not exist hadn't seen it in their interest to kill Shane yet, and this trend continued despite his silent pleas as he sprinted past the kitchen and into the bathroom, groaning into the toilet. It took him a few moments longer than it should have for him to process that he had seen people as he raced past.  _Maybe I should just stay here until they leave..._

"Shane dear, when you're done in there, come out and say hello to our new neighbor!"  _You've got to be fucking kidding me._

"Alright," He called back, trying not to slur his words or sound like too much of a mess. He quickly brushed his teeth, washed his face, and stepped back out into the kitchen where Jas, Marnie, Lewis, and presumably the new neighbor were sitting.  _Let's get this over with._

Shuffling over to a chair, he assessed the new farmer.  _Well, he's certainly a looker. Wonder how long he'll last on the farm before he cracks and runs back to the city._ Shane stayed silent, taking in the farmer's lanky build with almost no muscle to speak of, and soft, delicate hands. The young man sitting in front of him looked better suited to be sitting in front of a piano than here in front of him, about to start a life on a farm from scratch.

"I know you never met Buddy, Shane, but he was a wonderful part of the community. This is his grandson, Ian. He'll be living at and working on the farm from here on out." While Lewis made the introductions, Shane noticed Ian was looking him over as well, and despite having done it to the farmer only a moment before, he began to feel uncomfortable, and sank lower into his seat to keep his slightly protruding stomach out of sight. 

"Ian, this is Marnie, Jas, and Shane. Marnie is in charge of the ranch here, so any animals you may want to buy will be through her. I expect you'll be doing business with her quite a bit." Ian nodded, taking them all in as Jas shrank to hide behind her aunt. 

"Well, it's nice to meet all of you." He exclaimed in a voice that may have come off as insincere if his eyes weren't openly friendly. Marnie began chatting with him about what animals he might like to start with, and Shane allowed his mind to wander to other things, like what time he was going to start drinking. By the time he mentally came back, Ian and Lewis had taken their leave and Jas had scurried back to her room to play. Marnie and Shane looked at each other.

"So. How long do you think he's gonna last?" Shane asked casually. His aunt laughed and quirked her eyebrow at him.

"Don't forget you came from the city too, Shane. You're still here." He shrugged, reaching down to pull his sleeves down.

"Well yeah, but I didn't inherit an entire farm. I only take care of the chickens. Speaking of which, I should go check on them." He left before Marnie could get another word in, quickly closing the door to the attached coop behind him.

He turned to look at the chickens and felt his shoulders ease a bit. Chickens were far easier to deal with than humans. He felt something brush against his leg, and looked down to a gorgeous and very fancy looking chicken with a blue hue to its feathers. He smiled, bending down to pick it up.

"Hey, Charlie. How are we feeling today?" The chicken responded by nuzzling the side of Shane's face in a way that made him laugh. He sat down with Charlie as the other chickens came over to greet him.  _If my life was just chickens, I think I'd be far better off._

* * *

 

Pierre looked up from the counter as the door to the general store opened, and mayor Lewis came in for the second time that day. This time, however, without the new farmer. 

"Hey, mayor!" Pierre bellowed happily, adjusting his glasses and smiling. Lewis walked up to the counter and smiled, which would have been hidden by his mustache if his laugh lines by his eyes didn't crinkle up. 

"Hello again, Pierre! Caroline wouldn't happen to still be here, would she? It's about that time. " Pierre nodded his head vigorously, and quickly headed through the door leading to his house to find his wife, brushing past his daughter as she peeked out to see who was there. Abigail's face relaxed into a polite smile when she saw who it was.

"Good morning again, mayor Lewis. Here to add more to the pot?" Lewis smiled at her kindly.

"Ah, Abigail! Yes, I have to get your parents bets in for the farmer." Abby shifted so she was leaning on the side of the doorway. "So, why exactly do you guys do this, again?"

Lewis laughed, "Oh come now, dear. Nothing ever happens in this town, this makes the exciting things that much more interesting." He said, grinning mischievously, which made Abby laugh in response, throwing a wave over her shoulder as she went back into her room to continue her video game. 

Shortly after, a lovely green haired woman appeared with Pierre in tow. She had been jogging and was slightly breathless, which only added to her excited smile.

"Hey, Lewis! Is it that time already?" He chuckled and nodded, pulling out some paper. "Indeed it is! Now, let's get to it. Pierre, what do you think?"

"Hmm...I think, Um. I think Leah. She's such a wild card, but they seem to be in similar lifestyles now, so maybe they'll bond over that?" Lewis nodded. Made sense to him.

He moved onto Caroline, "And you, my dear?" Caroline gave it a bit more thought, but when she said it, her eyes were shining and she looked pretty confident.

"Sebastian." Pierre raised his eyebrows at her, but Lewis only nodded in understanding and wrote it down, quickly sealing both and putting them into a little poll box. 

Pierre laughed, shaking his head. "I wonder what your higher ups would think if they found out we used the poll boxes for voting over who will marry whom."

Lewis wriggled his eyebrows jokingly and said, "Well, it counts as a form of voting, doesn't it?" He gave them a wave goodbye and walked off to return home. All the adults had voted, and only time would tell. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was always a favorite head canon of mine, everyone in the town being so bored that the adults started betting on which of the young adults would marry.  
> Also, I know Penny's part has been a bit heavier, let me make it very clear that while Penny excuses her mother, abuse in any form is never okay.  
> That does it for this chapter, see you all for the next one!


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So hey, surprise, I'm alive! Sorry for a longer lapse in time than usual, there's just a lot of ways this story could go, and I've been trying very hard to decide which direction I want to take it. Anyway, hope you enjoy, and see you for the next chapter!
> 
> Also, we're going to be going through both Sane's and Penny's heart events, but instead of with the farmer, they're with each other, so the dialogue and endings of those heart events might not always stick with how they are in the game. Let's go!

   Very few instances had ever required Penny to do anything out of her physical capabilities. She wasn't the athletic type, and her lifestyle rarely challenged that. Even on his most difficult of days, Vincent was easy to reign in. Tonight, however, was a different story.

Time had gotten away from her while hanging out with Maru, and now she was sprinting rather blindly in the direction she thought home would be, though it was now pitch black so she wasn't confident. Her fears were entirely confirmed as she turned around to see where she had come from and caught sight of a house she barely recognized.  _I...I'm at the farm?_ Panic began to crawl up to her throat and close it off, and her senses, heightened in her panic, made her aware of someone approaching her.

"...Penny? That you?" A familiar, yet still new voice called out to her, and a few seconds later she was hit by a light that she shielded her eyes from. "Oh jeez, sorry, let me just..." The light dimmed a bit, and she was able to turn and see Ian, the new farmer. Though it did very little to calm her, the gentle concern in his eyes was causing her to fight back tears. "What are you doing out here so late?"

She quickly forced herself into composure and smiled at him shyly "Hi Ian, I'm sorry, I...I got a little lost leaving Maru's house, and I guess I went in the wrong direction." Ian smiled at her as she explained. 

"Well, I'm glad I came out to check, then. Cal heard something,"  _Who's Cal?_ "so I figured I'd come out and check to settle him down a bit. Do you need help getting back?" Relief flooded through her at his offer, and she quickly nodded her head, practically before he even finished asking.

"If you could, I would really appreciate it. Just to the end of your property should be fine, I'll be alright from there."  _Can't risk mom seeing him and thinking something happened._

"Alright, in that case, right this way," He said, holding his arm out to indicate the direction they'd be walking. "Normally, the path I'd take you to is the one that goes by the bus stop and into the square, but you got so far that it'd just be quicker to bring you by Marnie's ranch and have you loop around." She ducked her head and blushed, still embarrassed about getting as lost as she did in a town as tiny as this one. Ian didn't notice, and continued to fill the silence. "You'll be walking the road less traveled."  That made her perk up at least, Ian noted with a smirk. When in doubt, reference writers.

"Do you...read much?" Penny asked, mentally cringing, hoping he didn't mistake her question for pretentiousness. He didn't let her worry for long, looking back at her with a smile that could have stopped the hearts of any young person in the valley. "As much as I can. Although admittedly, that may be the only poem of Frost's that I know. I'm much more of a Poe fan, myself." 

The change in Penny was almost immediate. Her shoulders went back, she looked up, her stance as a whole relaxed, and her face was practically glowing with the genuine smile that hadn't been seen since Shane had gifted her her favorite thing, her coat. The thought of it made her subconsciously hug it around her body tighter. During their walk they bounced from The Pendulum to The Cask of Amontillado, to The Telltale Heart. Once finished, they discussed other works. They were each surprised to find the other had an avid love of fantasy type books, but relished in it together.

It seemed like no time at all before they were standing at the end of the Adams' property, and she found herself wanting to stay and talk more, but she knew she had to get home before Pam did. 

"Well, here we are. keep heading south and you'll see the ranch in no time, it'll be on your left. Actually," Ian reached for her hand, placing the handle of the lantern into it, "here, use this so you can see."

Penny shook her head, attempting to give it back. "That's really kind of you, but then you won't be able to see." He brushed off her comment very quickly, "I've grown used to this place at night, I can find my way back no problem. Get home safe, alright?" With one final wave, he left her with his lantern at the exit of his ranch. Taking a deep breath, she started walking forward, trying very hard not to think about the attractive farmer.

It wasn't long at all before she saw Marnie's ranch, and felt much calmer now knowing where she was. She walked until she was right in front of the building and was about to turn in the direction of home, when she noticed a small light shining on the pier in the opposite direction. She hesitated, knowing she should turn home, but curiosity got the better of her, and she cautiously made her way toward the light, along with the man who accompanied it.

 

 

* * *

 

Shane wasn't one for company. Ever. Especially when out on the pier. When he heard the boards creak as an alert someone was approaching, he felt a twinge of annoyance. He was already four beers in, and not in the mood to talk to anyone. Turning around and seeing orange hair and big green eyes, he knew Yoba was not on his side that night.

 _Out of absolutely everyone in the valley, why did it HAVE to be her_ , he bit is tongue to keep himself from saying anything. Looking at her, he could see the uncertainty in her eyes. Something about the way she stood, trying to make herself look smaller than she already was, made him remember the bruises he had seen on her.

"Well? You don't have to just stand there, you know. Come on." He heard himself say, patting the other end of the pier. Before he could question himself for that, knowing she knew he was drinking and that she would never willingly approach him, she was sitting a couple feet away from him. He let his legs dangle off the pier, but she kept hers underneath her. Casually, he wondered why, but drowned it out by downing the rest of the beer in his current can.

There was a few moments of silence before Shane felt the strange need to fill it, and before he could come up with anything witty to say, he heard his voice, "Up late, huh?" He turned to look at Penny, trying to ignore when the world turned with him. She gave him a cautious smile that looked more like a grimace, and nodded.  _I don't understand why she's here. She hates me. What can I do to make her leave?_ Shane ran through his options and decided being outright mean was definitely not the way to handle his goddaughter's favorite person.  _Wait...got it._

He reached for a new beer, then hesitated and made it two. He turned again and held one out to her. "Here, have a cold one." He regretted it as soon as it came out of his mouth.  _That was low, even for you._ To his surprise, there was no outrage, no tears, nothing. She simply paled a bit more and rapidly shook her head, mumbling out a "No thank you". For whatever reason, this made him smile. She was the only person in the valley of age that would refuse a drink, and in his drunkenness, he found it almost admirable, really. He couldn't remember the last time he had been able to turn down a drink. 

So he shrugged, and continued to drink his, trying to remember why he had been trying to get her to leave. She certainly wasn't bothering him, and the silence wasn't awkward, amazingly enough.  _Or maybe it is and you're just too drunk to notice, idiot._ Yeah, that was probably it. 

"Buh, life." He muttered, mostly to himself as he had forgotten she was there, but stared in surprise as she slowly nodded her head in understanding. He was so far gone, he needed to stop. But there he was, downing the last beer and letting his brain talk.

"You ever feel like...no matter what you do, you're gonna fail?" 

 

* * *

 

 

Penny stared at him, mouth open slightly. When she stayed silent for a few seconds too long, he continued. 

"...Like you're stuck in some miserable abyss and you're so deep you can't even see the light of day?" She felt her shoulders droop slightly as her defensive stance relaxed.  _Does he know what it feels like? To be so weak and helpless?_

He wasn't looking at her anymore, his dark eyes were instead staring out across the pond, but she continued to stare at him, and he continued to talk, confirming her thoughts. "I just feel like no matter how hard I try...I'm not strong enough to climb out of that hole." Now she felt her eyes swimming with tears, both at the relief of finding someone,  _finally,_ who understood, and the hurt of knowing that pain. "All the time," She whispered, barely loud enough for her to hear, but she knew he did. 

He turned to look at her, very slowly, she was sure it was because his world was spinning, and she quickly fought back her tears and looked perfectly composed by the time he had fully turned.

"Misery loves company, right?" He asked as he raised his can to her, "Just don't make it a habit...you've got a future ahead of you still." A humorless laugh left her mouth before she could swallow it back. He raised his eyebrows at her, but she quickly became the Penny he recognized, quiet and subdued. She watched him down the last can, sigh, and fall on his back. She startled, thinking he had fallen over, until he pointed straight up, motioning for her to lie down too. She did, after a few moments of thinking it over, and was greeted by a sight that took her breath away.

Millions upon millions of stars twinkled at her, and the moon shone almost as bright as the sun. It was the most beautiful sight Penny had ever seen, and slowly, she began to realize that was because she was never out at night, always shut in and fearful. She turned to look at the man laying a couple feet away from her in wonder.  _How did it take him to show me how beautiful the night is?_

All too soon, she remembered why she had been rushing to get home, and panic seized her again. She sat up quickly, and he, sluggishly, did the same.

 

* * *

 

_Get the fuck up, moron._

 "Welp, my liver's beggin' me to stop. Better call it a night," He gave her a slight wave, "See you around, Penny." and went to stand up. Somewhere between sitting and standing, he realized his legs had still been dangling over the pier, but it was too late, and he was too far gone to care. He heard Penny cry out in fear, and heard a huge crash, and then there was nothing.  _Well. I wasn't planning on that but if this is how I go, that's fine with me._

Dimly, he became aware of a muted crashing sound above him, and then someone's hands on him. He felt himself being pulled up higher and higher, until he could breathe and shiver in the air that had, somehow, gotten colder.

"Shane? Shane, please, can you hear me?" He almost didn't recognize her voice when she wasn't talking to the kids. This wasn't the calming, motherly voice she used, nor was it her strict teacher voice he had heard once or twice. It also wasn't her quiet, nervous voice. This voice was one of panic, of fear. He almost hated the way it sounded so natural for her. He managed to get a noise out that sounded somewhere between and grunt and a groan, and heard her sigh in relief. Then, he felts something warm being wrapped around him., and he opened his eyes to see her, inches in front of him, wrapping her coat around him. He stared at her blankly, hair wild and soaked down her back and around her face, eyes and cheeks bright from panic, freckles popped out against her natural alabaster skin tone.  _Has she...has she always been this pretty?_  

"Okay Shane, okay, you're okay. We're going to Marnie's, okay? You're gonna be alright." 

 

* * *

 

 

Penny knocked quickly on the door, then wondered if she'd wake anyone up, knocking this late at night. She had her arm as securely as she could around Shane's waist, and had pulled his arm around her shoulder. She was about to think up another plan when Marnie opened the door, her eyes widened and she quickly ushered Penny in, helping her with Shane's weight.

Marnie turned around, assumingly to yell at Shane, but then saw how soaked the two of them were, and became confused. "What the hell happened to you two?"

Penny took a deep breath,  _here we go,_ and began to explain how Shane had fallen into the pond, and she went in after to help him. Shane would give occasional grunts, as if agreeing. That seemed to settle Marnie down a bit. 

"Well, I'm sorry he gave you so much trouble dear. Come, let me walk you home." Immediate fear seized her again and she shook her head frantically, "Oh no no, that's okay, I can get home on my own."

Marnie frowned, "Well, at least take a flashlight so you can see where you're going." Penny consented to that, and a minute later, after wishing them a good night, Penny headed for home again.

On her way home, a thought occurred to Penny that made her freeze for a moment to think it over.  _I was around someone while they were drinking. But I didn't feel scared? Why?_

 

 

 

When she finally approached, the lights were out.  _That's either my saving grace, or the worst part of my night._ Taking a deep breath, and giving one more fleeting thought to how beautiful the stars were that night, she opened the door and silently walked into the trailer.

 

**Author's Note:**

> I hope to see you all again for the next chapter! I'll probably be updating rather frequently, so stay tuned!


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